Passenger-handling and fare-collection system for street cars



April 27, 1926.

J. F. LAYNG PASSENGER HANDLING AND FARE COLLECTION SYSTEM FOR STREET CARS Filed July 29. 1924 l VENTOR Patented Apr. 27 1926. I

UNlT ED STATES JOHN F. mums, or ROUND BAY, MARYLAND.

PASSENGER-HANDLING AN D FARE-COLLECTION SYSTEM FOR STREET CARS.

Application filed July 29, 1924. Serial N'o. '728,841.

T0 allay/10m it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. LAYNG, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Round Bay, in the county of Anne Arundel, State of lVlaryland, have made a certain new and useful Invention in Passenger-Handling and Fare-Collection Systems for Street Cars, of which. the following is a specification.

This invention relates to passenger handling and fare collecting systems for street cars. V i

The object of the invention is to provide a passenger handling and fare collecting system for street cars which is simple and efficient. f

A further object is to provide a system of the nature referred to wherein the boarding and alighting of street car passengers and the collection of their fares is'greatly facilitated and expedited.

A further object is to enable a single couductor, in cooperation with a single motorman, to control the boarding and alighting movements of passengers to and from a street car unit consisting of two articulated cars, and to effect the'collection of .fares from the passengers, in such manner that such movements and fare collections are effected rapidly and efficiently, whereby the articulated car unit is able to maintain better schedules and with less crowding and greater comfort to the passengers'thau heretofore.

Other objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter. i

The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination, location and relative arrangement of parts, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and finally pointed out in'the appended claims. Referring to the accompanying draw 1ngz-- Fig. 1 is a View in plan'and horizontal section showing a duplex or articulated car unit and illustrating the application of the principles of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the duplex or articulated car unit.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged broken detail view, somewhat diagrammatic, showing in side elevation the vestibule and parts of the common truck for the proximate ends of the two sections of the duplex or articulated car unit.

Fig. d is a similar view in horizontal section of thesame on the line 4, 4, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a broken detail view in vertical section on the line 5, 5', Fig. 3. f The same part is designated by the same reference numeral wherever it occurs throughout the several views. i

The problems of handling street car traffic expeditiously, economically and safely, and of fare collections, are becoming more and more serious and complicated as thetraf- 'fic increases. This is particularly true in the case of large cities and especially inthe congested sections thereofand during the hours of heaviest traffic. Experience has demonstrated that there isa limit to the speed at which street cars can be effectively operated on congested city streets and that, likewise, the total number of cars that can be effectively operated over the same tracks is also limited. If the number of cars be increased to meet the requirement-sof increased tratlic conditions, thestreetcongestion is increased, the time schedule is reduced and failureto secure rapid transit results. Moreover, operating expense is vastly increased by increasing the number of cars or operating units, especially by reason of the resulting necessity of increasing the personnel required to handle the additional cars or units, while at the same time the conditionsof delay in loading and unloading passengers, the

crowding and discomfort ofthe passengers,

and the difiiculties of effecting fare collections, are not ameliorated.

It is among the special purposes of my present invention to provide a system of pas scnger handling andv fare collection for street cars which enables the passengers to board and alight from cars expeditiously and safely without the delays ordinarily incurred in present systems, evenimder the conditions of increasedtraiiic and congestion in rush hours or crowded streets, and with greater comfort of the passengers while boarding or alighting from or occupying the cars; wherein better time schedules are maintained, thereby securing rapid transit as well as safety of transportation; wherein the operating costs are reduced, the carrying capacity is increased and fare collectionsfa cilitated'.

In carrying out my invention I propose to employ a duplex or articulated car unit composed of two car bodies articulated or connected together at their proximate ends with an intermediate vestibule connection between to nermit aassen 'ers after boarding one of the body sections, to pass there from to the other sect-ion. I also propose to provide each body sect-ion with a door at each side of each end and to utilize a door at the front end of the forward section of the duplex unit as the entrance door for all boarding passengers, placing the operation of such door under the controlof the motorman stationed at said front end, and utilizing a door at the rear end of the front secton, or at the front end of the rear section of the duplex unit, as the exit door for all alighting passengers, placing the operation of such door under the control of th'e'conductor. By this arrangement delays caused by the collection of fares from boarding passengers at the entrance door and as each passenger enters are avoided, the boarding passengers being enabled to quickly enter the front end of the front car section without being required to deposit or pay fares, orto make change as they board the car. The passengers entering the front car section may remain in that section without paying their fares, until they i'eaclrtlieii' destination and are ready to alight from the car, or they may pass through the vestibule between the two sections of the duplex unit and into the rear body section, being required in such case to pass bythe station of the conductor, whether at the rear end of the front section or at the front end of the rear sect-ion, and in passing the conductors station said passengers pay or deposit their fares and pass on into the rear section of the unit, from which they may alight at any time without further trouble or annoyance, when thecar stops and the exit door is opened. In other words, none of the passengers occupying the front section of the unit has paid a fare, while all those occupying the rear section of the unit have done so. This enables passengers to board the car without delay and atfords ample time to pay fares before alighting without causing delay in operation of the car. It also enables one conductor to handle fare collections for practically two cars and permits the operation of practically two cars with the same personnel now ordinarily required for one car. It also doubles the passenger carrying capacity of a transportation unit without increasing thenuinber of such units and without causing increase in trafiic congestion in the streets.

In' the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated the application of a system embody'lng the principles of my invention to a duplex or articulated car unit, where in 6 and 7 designate, respectively, the two sections of the duplex unit. These sections are flexibly connected together at their proximate ends so as to be operated together as one transportation unit. Intermediate the proximate ends of the two sections 6, 7, is arranged a closed vestibule structure 8 having a passageway 9 therethrough through which passengers occupying one section may pass into the other section. A door is located at each side ofeach end of each car body unit section. Any type of door may be used and any desired operating or control mechanism therefor may be employed. As these features, in the structure thereof form no part of our present invention they are not shown in detail but are merely indicated. Any desired seating arrangement for either ofthe sections 6, 7, may likewise be employed. For illustrative purposes, the section 6 is shown provided with longitudinally extending side seats 11, while the section 7 is shown provided with transverse seats 12. The station of the motorman, as usual, is located atthe front end of the front section of the unit, and to enable the unit to be operated in either direction the remote endsof the two sections (3, 7, are equipped. with the usual motormans controller stand 13, door operating control 14, brake control 15, and the like. The conductors station is located at or adjacent the proximate ends of. the sections 6, 7, at one'side or the other of the vestibule 8, either on'the rear end of the front section or the front end of the rear, section. For example, if'the duplex car unit is traveling towards the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, and as indicated by'the arrow a, a satisfactory and convenient'location of the conductor will be at or adjacent the operating'control 16 for the door 10, at the right hand side of the front end of the section 7 of the duplex car unit. In that case all 'theother doors at or adjacent the proximate ends of the two sections 6, 7 will remain closed, while the doors l0, the operation of which is under the control of the conductor, will be used as the exit doors for alighting passengers. Since all'the passengers board the car unit through the door 17 at the right hand sideof the front end of the from section (3, the control of which, as above stated, is effected by the motorinan whose st ation is 'adjacent thereto, it will be seen that'each passenger must pass by the c-onductors station before reaching the exit door 10, the operation of which the conductor conti'ols,"a11d hence will be enabled to pay the required fare to the conductor, or to deposit the same at the conductors station or under his supervision before alighting' from the car.' If they desire, the passengers on boarding'the car, as, in the illustration above given, through the entrance door 17, may remain in the section 6 until approaching or reaching their destinations and may then pass'by the conductors station, make payment of their fares and alight from the rear section 7 through'the exit door 10. Or, if desired, the passengers on boarding the forward section Lil car very quickly, rapidly and without undue congestion, crowding or discomfort; All passengers occupying the rear section 7 have passed by the conductors station and hence have paid or deposited their fares. Such payment or deposit may have been effected by the individual passengers immediately on boarding the car through door 17 or at a convenient time after boarding the car, and any passenger who has made payment or deposit of fare may alight from the car through the door 10 at any stop of the car without causing confusion or experiencing discomfort. In emergency, doors at 14 and 17 may be opened to allow passengers to leave the car.

If desired and in order to still further expedite the boarding and alighting movements of passengers, and to prevent unnecessary and uncomfortable congestion and crowding, I prefer to leave the floor spaces at each end of each section of the units 6, 7, open and unoccupied by seats or other obstructions, as indicated at 19.

The articulation of the proximate ends of the two sections 6, 7, may be effected in any suitable or desired manner. I have shown a structure wherein a single truck 20 constitutes a common support for the proximate ends of said sections. In this arrangement the vestibule 8 is carried directly on the truck 20 and forms the side bearings for the adjacent body section ends, each body section end being supported in a separate cup in the truck center bearing, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4-. However, the manner of articulating, connecting or supporting the ends of the body sections forms no part of my invention and therefore may be of any well known or usual structure or arrangement.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I provide an exceedingly simple and eliicient system whereby one conductor and one motorman can handle and control the boarding and alighting movements of passengers 011 a two section or duplex articulated train and wherein the boardin and alighting of the passengers may be effected rapidly without confusion, congestion or, crowding, even in congested trafiic conditions, and whereby passenger carrying capacity is vastly increased without increasing the number of operating units or car trains, and whereby fares are collected from or despeed of operation of thetransportation unit thereb securin and maintainin bet- D b ter time schedules of operation of the unit.

It is to be understoodthat many variations and changes in the-details would readi- 1y occur to persons skilled in the art, without departure from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having now set forth the object and nature of my invention, and an arrangement embodying the principles thereof, what I claim as new and useful, and of my invention, is

1. In an articulated multisection train having entrance and exit passages spaced apart, a pay station between said passages, said pay station removed from said entrance passage, whereby passengers are admitted to a section of said train and are permitted to pay the car fare upon entering the second section of said multi-section train.

In a passenger handling and fare collecting system, the combination with articulated car body sections forming a passenger transporting unit, ofa vestibule interposed between the proximate ends of said sections.

and having a passageway therethrough, an entrance doorway at the front end of the front body section, an exit doorway in one or the other of said body portions adjacent said vestibule, pay station controlling said vestibule and exit doorway a door for each of said doorways, and door operating control means respectively located adjacent each of said doors.

3. In a passenger handling and fare collecting system, the combination with articulated car body sections forming a passenger transporting unit, of a vestibule interposed between the proximate ends of said sections andhaving a passageway therethrough, an entrance doorway at the front end of the front body section, an exit doorway in one or the other of said body portions adjacent said vestibule, doors for said doorways, and means adjacentthe exit doorway to control the operation of the exit door and to define a conductors station for effecting fare collections.

4. In a passengerhandling and fare collecting system, articulated car body sections forming a passenger transporting unit, each body section having a door at each end thereof, and also having seats for passengers, a closed vestibule connecting said body sections, said vestibule having a passage there through from one section to the other, means located adjacent said vestibule to define a conductors station and to control the operation of an adjacent door, and means adjacent ,the front end of the forward car body section to control the operations otthe door adjacent to said door.

5. In a passenger handling and fare col looting system, articulated car body sections forming a passenger transporting unit, each body section having a door at each end their of, and also having seats for passengers, a closed vestibule connecting said bod sections,- said vestibule havinga passage therethrough from one section to the other, means located adjacent said vestibule to define a conductors stat-ion and to control the operation of an adjacentdoor, and means adjacent the front end of the forward car body section to control the operations of the door adjacent to said door, the floor space adjacent each of said doors being unobstructed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this 22nd day of July A. 1)., 1924-;

JOHN F. LAYNG. 

